Final answer:
In Physics, displacement is determined by calculating the area under the velocity vs. time graph within a given time interval; from this, average velocity can be calculated by dividing the displacement by total time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question relates to the concept of displacement in Physics, specifically within the context of kinematics, which is the study of motion without considering its causes. The displacement of a particle is the change in its position from one point in time to another. It is a vector quantity, indicating both magnitude and direction. To find the displacement when given a velocity vs. time graph, you need to calculate the area under the curve within the time interval. The total displacement can then be divided by the total time to find the average velocity.
When a student is asked to sketch a displacement-time graph, they should indicate the shape of the graph based on the motion described during each interval. The step-by-step process includes using a previous velocity vs. time graph to calculate displacement by finding the area under the line and then creating a corresponding displacement-time graph that shows the particle's position over time. If given position as a function of time, such as x(t), displacements at specific times can be found by subtracting initial positions from final positions.
The example mentioned in the question, in which the net displacement is 16,325 m over 70 seconds, yields an average velocity of approximately 233 m/s. This illustrates the relationship between displacement, time, and velocity.